Not While I'm Around
by thilia87
Summary: HarryDraco. AU. On his first day as a Healer at St. Mungo's, Draco is introduced to Harry, who has been a patient at the hospital his entire life, and he forms an unexpected attachment... Slash. Adult Content. WIP.
1. Chapter 1

**Not While I'm Around**

Work in Progress. Rated R in later chapters. AU. Unbetaed.

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**Part 1**

"And this… is Harry," the woman said quietly, looking at the young man sitting on the window sill and staring out into the sky. Draco lifted his head and studied him for a moment, from the messy black hair and the round glasses to his insecure and helpless posture. The boy's brows were furrowed, his handsome features worried, and he had a general air of sadness and hopelessness around him. Draco frowned slightly and turned his head towards the nurse who looked as thoughtful as he had mere moments before.

"What's wrong with him?" Draco asked seemingly indifferent but he couldn't quite manage to mask his curiosity. He looked back at the boy; he had no visible injuries and the fact that he was on the Mental Ward of the hospital told Draco that he had something serious, maybe even incurable.

"He's…," the nurse started, then hesitated, blue eyes fixating Draco. "He's the Boy Who Lived."

Draco's head shot immediately back to her and he looked at her incredulously. "What? You mean… that's the boy who survived the attack from the Dark Lord?" Draco looked back to the boy, now even more interested in finding out more about this young man. He didn't look special and yet he'd achieved what no one else had been able to do before him. He'd survived Avada Kedavra and he'd defeated Lord Voldemort when he'd been just a baby. Why he wasn't a celebrity was beyond Draco.

"Yes. Harry Potter. Son to Lily and James. Poor thing," she sighed, rubbing her neck absentmindedly.

"What… I mean… what's wrong with him? There hasn't been anything about him in the Prophet since he was a kid. Is he all right?" Draco asked, then realized that what a ridiculous question that was. If he had been in St. Mungo's all this time he obviously was not all right. It made sense. Even though he _had_ survived the killing curse, it was bound to cause some damages.

The nurse sighed again and leaned against the counter, giving Draco her full attention. "He's… it's a difficult case. Technically he's in perfect health. He grew up completely normal, physically. His height and weight are okay for his age… even though he's a little skinny. What's more worrisome is his mental state. His brain is in perfect condition, his IQ even especially high, as we've found out with numerous spells. But the Avada Kedavra He Who Must Not Be Named used on him has somehow made him… hide in his mind. He lives his life passively, eats when we feed him but he doesn't react to anything. He hasn't spoken a word since he got here, we don't even know if he _can_ speak. When he looks at you, it's like he doesn't see you. It's a very special case and something like this has never happened before. Obviously, since no one else has ever been hit by an Avada Kedavra and survived to tell the tale." She sighed and shook her head. "Poor boy."

Draco considered this for a moment, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "You mean, he's basically all right, just… trapped inside his mind?" Draco inquired, trying to understand what she was telling him. He had never heard of a similar case and was more than a little intrigued.

She nodded. "Yes, something like that. He's not difficult to handle. He doesn't talk but seems to understand us. He obeys -- eats. He just never really reacts to anything we say. No matter how we say it, no matter how often we say his name. It's a frustrating case and I deeply feel for the boy. Many healers have given up on him and we're looking for someone who won't. He needs stability, someone to look after him. The Healers have given up on him, and decided that if he hasn't come out of his own little world yet, he probably never will. It's almost like he's in a coma. But despite everything the Healers say, I can't help but hope that someday we'll find a way to bring him back. He's such a sweet thing."

Draco frowned as he noticed the thick tear rolling down her cheek. If he were the touchy-feely kind of guy he would probably hug her now and offer some comforting words, but honestly… First, he was a Malfoy and second, he definitely wasn't going to hug a complete stranger just because she was a little too emotionally attached to her patients, which frankly shouldn't even happen in the first place. He knew that that would never happen to him. He didn't care for anything but himself, and some close friends. In that way, Draco was the perfect Healer. He rarely attached any emotion to anyone or anything; he had the perfect ability to stay independent and detached, and was therefore much more capable than everyone else on the program. This didn't mean that he wouldn't do what's best for his patients. It only meant that he was reasonable and could keep a clear head while other people got emotional.

"Can I meet him?" he asked quietly, pulling the woman out of her current state of pity and despair. Honestly. She nodded briefly, then walked up to the window slowly as to not startle the young man. Draco followed her, looking at him curiously. When he got closer, he could see the distinct scar on the boy's forehead. So this was it. This was the only visible sign of the Avada Kedavra curse. The legendary lightning-shaped scar. Draco had to admit that it bore some fascination for him.

"Harry?" The woman asked. Draco tried to remember her name but couldn't quite figure it out. Not that it really mattered to him as he wasn't planning on befriending the older woman. But it would maybe be a good idea to actually know the names of his co-workers. His eyes dropped to the sign that was attached to her robes. Ah. Abigail. Not even knowing why he was wondering about something so completely insignificant at this particular moment, Draco shook his head and looked back at the boy a few feet away from him.

He didn't stir as the woman said his name. He didn't seem to even realize that someone was talking to him. Draco frowned, feeling something inexplicable in his chest but he couldn't quite make out what it was. He watched the boy curiously as the woman – Abigail said his name again.

"Harry, there's someone I want you to meet," she said softly, reaching out to softly place a hand on Harry's shoulder. At this, the boy jumped a little and slowly turned his head towards her, a sad, vacant expression on his surprisingly handsome features. Abigail bit her lip, obviously still not used to the way the boy was behaving. She cleared her throat and forced a smile onto her face. "This is Draco, Harry," she said, moving her head slightly in Draco's direction and looking at him expectantly.

Harry stared at – or rather through her for some more seconds before slowly turning his head to Draco. He seemed to look at his chest for a moment before glancing up at his face. Draco's breath hitched as Harry's eyes seemed to actually focus on him for a few moments, a somewhat curious glint in them. It was extremely quiet for that brief moment, and the nurse seemed to hold her breath as well. Then, as quickly as the moment had come, Harry's eyes drifted off again and turned back to the window.

Draco stared at the boy; the extremely intense look the boy had given him affecting him strangely. He let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding before turning back to Abigail and momentarily forgetting about his well-practiced Malfoy-mask; surprise and confusion evident on his sharp features. He saw the exact same look (without the handsomeness, of course) reflected on the woman's face, and by the way her mouth was opening, she seemed to want to say something but not quite knowing how to.

"Did… he just…," she started, staring at Draco with uncovered surprise, apparently expecting him to finish her sentence. Draco schooled his features and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, shrugging and nodding.

"He seemed to focus there for a second, yes," he answered quietly, his eyes yet again seeking the tiny boy's frame. He wanted to reach out and touch Harry, try to make him look at him again. But he didn't, because Harry's flinch at Abigail's unexpected touch hadn't escaped Draco's notice, and for some unfathomable reason, the last thing he wanted to do was to make Harry uncomfortable.

"Wow," Abigail breathed, and Draco was forced to look at her again, as she didn't elaborate. He waited for a few seconds, watching her face intently.

"This… is a big deal, you know," Abigail finally said, looking at him thoughtfully. "He hasn't shown any response to anyone. At all. People have been here to visit him," she explained, softly touching Draco's arm and leading him away from Harry. "People who should meant something to him and have gotten through to him. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black who is Harry's godfather, and a close friend of the late James Potter, for once. And Headmaster Dumbledore who visits him at least once a week. He's tried everything but nothing even remotely works. We always figured that if Professor Dumbledore who, undoubtedly is the most powerful wizard in our society, couldn't find anything to get Harry out of his little world, no one. This… was really unexpected."

She was still looking at him with that same contemplative look which irritated Draco to no end. He could see that she was working something out in her mind but he couldn't really figure out what could be going on in that pretty head of hers.

"That doesn't make sense," Draco said then, and frowned. When she kept her eyes on him, he scowled. "Would you mind telling me why you're staring at me like that? It's quite rude, you know? Do I have something on my face?" he asked haughtily, trying to use his best Malfoy glare to get her to talk to him. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was people who expected him to read his mind. True, he was good at Legilimency but he had the decency not to use it on defenseless people. He was pleased to see that she had the good grace to blush but she still didn't avert her eyes from him.

"Sorry. It's just…would you…I mean... This really was a big step. I don't know what it means but we should definitely look into it, and try to figure out what this means... Say, Mister Malfoy, would you be interested in taking over the case? We might be on to something here."

Draco raised a thin, blond eyebrow in a way that he knew made many people uneasy. Secretly he couldn't believe his luck. He had only just passed the exam to be a Healer at St. Mungo's and he knew that at such an early stage of a Healer's career, he wasn't supposed to be trusted with such a huge case, no matter how promising he, or this new development, was. Most people who started to work here got to do the nasty work, like emptying the bedpans or giving medication potions to the patients. House elf work, basically. Draco was still stunned silent at the prospect of being able to work on an actual case instead of getting his hand dirty like all of the other "first years". But then again, he wasn't most people, was he?

"What do you mean?" he asked when he thought he could manage to speak without letting out an intensely embarrassing noise.

"He'd be your patient. As I've already told you, he didn't react to anything, and believe me, we've done all in our power to heal or help him. But this just now was a major progress, even though he only focused on you for but a second. But you might be able to get through to him… I am not willing to give up hope. There's not much of it but we need to take every opportunity of making our Harry better, seriously."

Draco looked at her, then back to the boy who was still sitting at his former spot, staring out into the sky. Draco didn't really need to think about it, it was obvious that he wasn't going to pass such an enormous opportunity. Besides that, Harry had gained his curiosity and if he would be allowed to help the boy, he was going to do everything in his powers to achieve that goal. Not showing his enthusiasm because he felt like he needed to play distant since that was just what being a Malfoy was all about, he finally, after leaving the woman on the tenterhooks for what he considered to be long enough, he looked back to her and nodded.

"I'd love to."

*

Harry stared out at the clouds curiously. He liked watching clouds. They weren't really real, even if they were. They were the bridge between his sanity and insanity. He liked discovering interesting shapes in them. Today, he had already spotted a giant rabbit and an old bearded man who looked a lot like Dumbledore.

Yes, Harry was aware of who Dumbledore was. He was a nice, old man who came to visit him often. Harry liked to listen to his kind chattering. He never replied because he couldn't.

He stilled when he heard steps coming his way. He wondered if it was Dumbledore again but the fact that the nurse talked about him told him that it wasn't him. No, it was someone else who was with Abigail. Someone new. When the nurse touched him, he jerked away, shuddering. He hated to be touched. Abigail addressed him, and he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the fascinating clouds. He recognized Abigail and looked at the other person then. The first thing he noticed was his eyes. Draco, as Abigail had called him, was a blond man with a pointy face. He was handsome but the most capturing thing about him were his eyes. For a moment, Harry stared into them, his heart beating a little faster because of the pure intensity that was reflected in those eyes. They looked like liquid silver and gained Harry's curiosity.

But then he the thought that they might not be real occurred to him. They might be a figment of his imagination, just like everything else around him was. And so he unfocused again and looked back at the clouds because he knew that at least they were partly real.

Tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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That same evening, Draco Malfoy found himself skimming through various books, looking for a cure for his new patient's condition. He didn't really know where to start and thought that it was probably pointless to begin with since even the great Albus Dumbledore hadn't found anything to help Harry. But he knew that he couldn't just let it rest. If anything, Draco was stubborn, and he wouldn't rest until he had found something. He wouldn't give up on the kid like so many had done before him.

He drank his coffee, scanning the pages of a Potions book for something useful; then, after emptying his mug, he finally dismissed the idea of finding the cure tonight and shut the book. How was he supposed to find something when he didn't even know what he was looking for? He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, taking off his glasses and tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose. No, he had to find another way to deal with this.

Carrying his mug back into the small kitchen of his flat, he decided that it was best to first observe Harry for a while and get more acquainted with his condition. Tomorrow he was going to study his file and then spend some time with him. Maybe he just needed to become his friend for something miraculous to happen. He snorted when he realized how ridiculous and naïve that sounded. But then he thought that after all the first result had happened because of his mere presence and maybe that thought wasn't so stupid after all. On the other hand there were other people who'd kept the boy company and they'd all failed or had at least not managed to get a significant result. But maybe he, Draco, had something the others didn't…

Draco frowned and shook his head. He was getting nowhere tonight, so he decided to watch television for half an hour before he felt tired enough and dropped into bed, his thoughts once again drifting to the small, pale boy who was now probably sleeping in the white impersonal room at St. Mungo's. He frowned. Maybe it was just the clinical surroundings that didn't exactly make the patients feel better or help them recover.

He finally fell asleep, looking forward to his next day at work and making the decision to do everything in his power to help The Boy Who Lived become able to lead a normal life. Dear Merlin, when had Draco Malfoy become such a caring person?

***

Draco arrived the next day at work staggeringly early. Most of the patients were still sleeping and none of the other day-time Healers or Nurses had arrived yet which suited Draco just fine. He brewed some strong coffee, then grabbed his mug and went into the "living room", flopping down onto the sofa with Harry's file. He took a sip of black coffee and then started to read.

He must've sat there for a long time, completely absorbed in his lecture when he suddenly felt the couch next to him move. He looked up and was surprised to see Harry looking back at him, a somewhat curious expression on his face.

Draco closed the file and smiled. "Good morning, Harry," he said quietly and the boy responded by looking at the floor.

"You all right? How did you sleep?" Draco asked, mentally slapping himself since it wasn't really smart to ask questions when he knew that he couldn't expect the boy to answer.

"So… uh… I'm Draco. I'll be taking care of you from now on if that's okay with you," Draco finally said, placing the file and his empty mug on the small table. Draco took the fact that the boy just kept staring at the floor as an "okay". He smiled and hesitantly reached out to pat Harry's shoulder awkwardly.

"So… what do you usually do at this time?" he asked, already feeling uncomfortable because he had to basically talk to himself. He knew that the boy probably heard him but his lack of reaction was already frustrating him.

'Patience. Calm,' he told himself. 'The boy is sick, you need to take care of him, and screaming at him or doing something equally stupid won't help anyone. Even if you don't find a way to help Harry, this will at least help you get more patient.'

"Would you like to play something?" he asked, looking at Harry. "Or I could read something to you?"

When Harry just kept looking at the floor Draco decided to read him a story. He wasn't even sure Harry was able to play, being all passive. He got up and chose a book from the back of the shelf before coming back to sit with Harry.

*

Harry liked stories. He liked them because he knew that they weren't real. They were made up by people with a great imagination, and usually the stories the Healers read to him were so obviously fiction that Harry could trust the fact that they were, indeed, made up.

He listened to Draco's voice but didn't look at him. He couldn't be sure he was real or if he could trust him. He told him a nice story, yes, but who said that it wasn't just a trick? He liked the young man's voice, though. Abigail's voice was sometimes shrill and hysterical but Draco's was soft and quiet, and sounded smooth, like velvet or silk. Just like his eyes. Harry risked a glance at the other man from the corner of his eyes and saw the pale skin and sharp features. Everything about him seemed to be a contrast of soft or smooth, and sharp. Harry watched the man for a while, seeing the small smile playing across his lips. Maybe he _was_ nice. That thought made the corners of _Harry's_ mouth hitch up a little. But at the same time he felt an unbearable sinking sensation in his stomach. Draco was _too_ good to be true. Which meant that he probably wasn't real. Things this beautiful were never real.

Harry heaved a sigh and averted his eyes, looking at the sizzling flames in the fireplace. When would this ever stop? Would he ever get out of this horrible situation? It frustrated him that he didn't know what or whom he could trust. He wanted it to end, wanted to either only live in that imaginary world that he loved so much, or get out of it completely. He slowly leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes, listening to the rest of Draco's story.

*

After the story, Draco watched Harry go to the window to look at the clouds again. He wondered what was fascinating Harry so much about them… They were just white, shapeless… things to him. Why could Harry look at them for hours every day?

Draco frowned curiously and jotted it down in his notebook, deciding that he had to look into that. It would possibly give him a clue. He sighed and got up, walking to the reception counter where Abigail had just arrived.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, smiling. "Or… May I call you Draco?"

Draco gave her a tight-lipped smile, obviously not pleased at the prospect of being called by his given name, but then he gave her a curt nod. "Good morning, Abigail."

Abigail gave him another smile and… good Lord, was she trying to flirt with him? The woman had to be at least thirty and… well, she was not exactly Draco's type, lacking the penis and all. He still smiled back politely, then leaned against the counter, watching Harry thoughtfully.

"Everything all right?" she asked softly, watching Draco's face attentively. "Did something happen?

Draco sighed and shook his head. "No. That's what's frustrating me," he murmured, turning his head towards her and studying her face. "Though he did look at me for a moment after he woke up and joined me. I was just reading his file and found him staring at me. The moment I spoke, however, he stopped looking at me. But I'm quite sure that he looked at me again while I was reading to him."

Abigail nodded and looked at Harry for a moment before turning back to Draco. "Look," she said, shamelessly using the opportunity to pat Draco's arm. He sneered but managed not to jerk his arm away. "I have been working here for several years and I know Harry pretty well." She paused, shrugging. "Well, as well as anyone can know him. I don't think you get how big this is. He hasn't ever looked at anyone. There must be something about you that's… different. I don't know what it could be but maybe we're onto something here. I know it can be frustrating; believe me, when I started out here, I wanted to yell at him more than once. But you'll learn to be patient."

Draco narrowed his eyes, looking at her thoughtfully, then he saw that she was probably right. Patience was the way to go here. "Yeah," he murmured, then placed the file down on the counter, performing a quick spell to prevent anyone other than him to open the file and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "I need a smoke. Be right back."

He turned and left the building, leaning against it as he smoked his cigarette and thought about Harry.

When he came back a few minutes later, he decided to join Harry, who was still happily watching the clouds. He stood behind him and looked from the clouds to Harry's face and back again. He raised an eyebrow curiously when Harry frowned a little and moved away from him. Draco hadn't said or done anything that could've provoked this action. Unless… Maybe Harry didn't like the smell of cigarettes on him?

He watched Harry's face as he performed a brief cleaning charm on himself and raised his eyebrows in surprise when Harry visibly relaxed. Interesting. He would make sure to always smell nice when he showed up for work.

He pulled up a chair and sat down beside Harry, just keeping him company and watching the clouds, even though he couldn't imagine anything more boring.

After an hour or two, Draco _still_ couldn't see why on earth this would be an interesting way to spend one's time but if it helped Harry, he would sit with him. It would maybe help him understand what was going on in Harry's head. And the thing that mattered most to him was Harry's well-being.

Tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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"Harry Potter? Never heard of him."

Pansy raised an eyebrow and shrugged, sipping on her vodka as she lowered herself onto the couch. She glanced up at Draco who was staring at her in disbelief, and she shrugged. "Sorry. Is he a Minister or some new celebrity, or something?"

Draco rolled his eyes and groaned, sliding down onto the couch next to her and giving her a look. "If he were a celebrity, you'd be the first to know. Well, actually he IS a celebrity, not just one people talk about every day, even though they should." He paused, still looking at her incredulously. "Harry Potter. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived," he elaborated, looking at her intently. "Oh come on, Pans, you can't honestly tell me that you don't know about the baby who defeated The Dark Lord. Even you can't have missed this. Your father must've told you about him."

Pansy pondered for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose he did. But you know my dad; he tends to ramble, and I can't claim that I actually listened to him most of the time," she said, shrugging. "So what about that baby?"

"He's not a baby anymore," Draco sighed exasperatedly. "He's my patient. He survived the most powerful wizard of all time's Avada Kedavra, right? Well ever since, he's been living at St. Mungo's. Only few people know about it, so you can't tell anyone. Especially not Daphne, do you hear me?" Pansy batted her lashes innocently and gave him a sweet smile. Draco rolled his eyes and continued. "Anyway, he's… Abigail told me that he's been kind of living in his own little world ever since the incident. He's never reacted to anything; he doesn't even really look at people. He's never said a word, and they've tried everything. Professor Dumbledore's taken care of him. Anyway, on Monday Abby introduced me to him and he looked at me. He actually focused on me for a few seconds."

He looked at Pansy expectantly, expecting at least an "Oh my God!" but Pansy's reaction failed to demonstrate itself. She inspected her fingernails and glanced up. "Abby? Are you sleeping with your boss already?"

Draco groaned, wondering for the third time that day why exactly she was his friend. "She is not my boss, she is my supervisor. And I'm definitely not sleeping with her. In case you haven't noticed; she is a woman. And you totally miss the point here!"

"Oh, right," Pansy chirped. "Forgot you were gay. Sorry, darling. So you're shagging that Potter-boy?"

"What? No! He's a patient, Pansy, Geez!" he snapped, mentally facepalming. "He is seventeen years old and he's helpless and not even completely conscious! Of course I'm not sleeping with him, are you insane?"

"In that case, I am failing to see why you're telling me about this," she said, frowning and examining her nails again.

"Because this is a big deal for me! It's my job and… it's a major thing that I get to work with the person who saved the Wizarding World on the first day I start there," Draco explained, his head starting to hurt. Why he put up with this woman, he'd never know. "Can't you, for once, stop thinking about yourself and actually be happy for me?"

Pansy looked up, considering him for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Well, I AM happy for you," she said, lighting a cigarette. "Want one?" When Draco shook his head, she raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Harry doesn't like the smell," he explained which made Pansy give him an odd look.

"You are insane," he muttered, inhaling deeply and intentionally blowing the smoke in his face. "But anyway, I met the cutest guy at that new club last night! Let me tell you – most gorgeous arse I've ever seen!"

Draco sighed and shook his head. Maybe Blaise would understand him.

***

A few days later, Draco still hadn't made any major progress with Harry. He had occasionally shown some minor reaction, and looked at Draco. He still didn't talk or show emotions, except his customary sadness but Draco could swear he'd seen a smile on the boy's lips at one point.

When Draco arrived at work that day, Abigail greeted him with an excited smile. "Misters Black and Lupin are there to visit Harry," she told him. Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked to the couches where, indeed, two men, who seemed to be in their thirties, were sitting and talking to Harry. He nodded, then grabbed Harry's file and made his way towards them, followed by Abigail who took Harry with her, so that Draco could talk to the two men in private.

"Good morning," he said when he got close enough for them to hear him. "Draco Malfoy, I'm the new Healer on Harry's case," he said, holding out his hand for one of the men to take.

One of them, a shabby-looking blond-grey-haired man with kind, amber eyes stood up, gave him a smile and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Remus Lupin," he introduced himself before sitting down again. Draco answered the smile before looking down at the other man, and was surprised to see him glaring at him.

He saw Lupin give the other man, who was obviously Sirius Black, a nudge in the ribs and finally he gave in and shook Draco's hand as well. "Sirius Black," he said grumpily, still looking at him apprehensively. "So. Lucius Malfoy's son is a Healer. Some things never cease to amaze me," he muttered, and Draco frowned.

Oh. So it was one of his father's haters. Great.

"Yeah, um…," Draco said, opening the file. "So, has someone told you about the progresses we've made?" he asked, looking up. Both men shook their heads and looked hopeful; Black obviously trying to hide his surprise.

"In the past two weeks, Harry has focused his gaze on me several times. It's not a breakthrough or anything but… it's a start," Draco explained, looking at them from above his glasses. "Abigail gave me the case because it was me who made him snap out of his trance, even if only for a moment, and… I'm currently working on a plan to make him better."

Lupin looked impressed, while Black made every effort to not show him how pleasantly surprised he was. "Well, that's wonderful news," Lupin said and gave him that kind smile again.

"Don't I get a say in who gets to treat my godson? I'm his legal guardian, so I should at least be notified," Black muttered and Lupin elbowed him in the ribs again. "What?" Black snapped, glaring at his friend.

Draco's lip curled into a sneer. "Excuse me, Mister Black, but I think the two of us have the same goal which is to cure Harry. And I am the best at what I do, and I've come to believe that I may be essential to Harry's well-being. If you have a problem with my treating Harry, you may contact my boss, but until then, I will be the one to treat Harry," he said in a perfectly calm and professional tone, but at the same time made it obvious that he was not to be trifled with.

Black looked stunned for a moment, then resumed glaring at him suspiciously before sighing and waving his hand. "Fine," he muttered at last, and Draco let out an involuntary sigh. He really wanted to stay on this case. He told himself that it was only because it would be an enormous boost for his career if he succeeded in this, but deep down he knew that that was only half the truth. He was starting to care for Harry on a level that was not strictly professional. But he was far from ready to admit that to himself or anyone else.

"So, he's… what exactly are you saying?"

Draco snapped out of his reverie when Lupin spoke, and sat down across from them, leaning forward. "Well, I've had a few days to get acquainted with Harry's case. You know that in all the years he's been here, he's been living in his own world," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Am I right?"

Lupin nodded and Black grunted, so Draco took that as a sign to continue. "Well, I started two weeks ago and when the charming Mrs. Hepburn introduced me to Harry, he looked at me and focused on me; not the empty stare he usually has. You are probably aware that this had never happened before, so Abigail put me on the case. I've been studying it ever since, all the while spending a lot of time with Harry, and he's starting to react to the smallest things. I've caught him smiling when I was reading a story to him the other way, and he looks at me more often every day, and for longer periods of time."

He was rudely interrupted by Black snorting and narrowing his eyes at him. "It could've been just the story that made him smile. Why would he react to YOU, of all people? Maybe you just finally found a story he's actually interested in," he stated, and Draco saw Lupin give him an apologetic look.

He gave him a small smile. "I've considered that," he admitted. "But there are other things, too, and I think we're getting closer to a break-through with every day I spend with him. Now, if you want me off the case – fine. But let me assure you that I'm good at what I do. I'm the best, as a matter of fact, I just haven't had the opportunity to prove it yet."

Black looked cross but Lupin nodded and gave him a smile, getting up and shaking his hand again. "Thank you very much, Mr. Malfoy. Be sure to let us know as soon as there's a new development," he said, and Draco gave him a real smile back.

"Of course I will."

Black sighed and rose as well, reluctantly accepting Draco's hand. "Yeah, thank you," he murmured, then he let Lupin pull him out of the room. Draco watched them leave before flopping back down on the couch and rubbing his face tiredly. Staying up late drinking with Pansy the previous night probably wasn't a very good idea.

He looked up when he heard footsteps stop only a few inches away from him and smiled when he saw Harry looking down at him. "Morning Harry," he said softly. "How are we doing today?"

Harry gave him that small smile again; it was unnoticeable to anyone else but Draco. Of course he could just be imagining it was there but something in the boy's eyes told Draco that he _was_ smiling. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you want me to read something to you?"

Harry bit his lip and glanced at the window, and Draco understood. Watching the clouds was still a favourite pastime of his. Draco couldn't blame him; it was actually fun, watching the different shapes. And… oh god, what was happening to him? Two weeks ago he hadn't been able to see any pleasure in looking at a bunch of clouds, and now he was actually enjoying it? Dear Merlin.

He stood up and followed Harry to one of the couches by the window, sitting down next to him. Harry glanced up at them curiously, and got that dreamy expression in his eyes. Draco smiled, watching him, then concentrated on the clouds.

"I see," he started, tilting his head, "a giant bunny."

Harry gave a small smile and Draco took that as a yes. He wanted to touch him, show him his support by just… taking his hand, or rubbing his arm comfortingly but Abigail had urged him not to do that because Harry had always reacted really intensely whenever someone had touched him.

Draco tried to fight the urge but at the same time he thought that maybe it was different for him. Maybe Harry would allow him to touch him. Everything seemed to be different for him, so why not this?

He hesitated for another second, then he carefully extended a hand and placed it on Harry's forearm. He almost pulled it back again when Harry jumped and his head shot to him as he stared down at the hand contemplatively. Draco left it there, watching Harry's face intently, and let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when Harry just looked back at the clouds; actually leaning into the touch.

Draco smiled and kept his hand there, stroking the younger boy's arm slowly. He didn't want to push his luck by hugging him, so he just kept it at that and waited for Harry to get more comfortable.

*

Harry enjoyed spending time with Draco, whether he was real or not. He read him great stories, and contrary to Abigail, he could read them well. Harry loved listening to him. Draco made the tales interesting, occasionally even used different voices for certain characters. And the sound of his voice was calming.

They also looked at clouds together. Draco always told him what he saw and Harry was happy because Draco always seemed to see the same things he saw. He had just spotted a particularly distinctive elephant when he suddenly felt something on his arm. He looked down at it and saw Draco's hand on his arm. He blinked slowly, trying to process the fact that someone was touching him. No, not someone. Draco. Strangely, it didn't bother him at all. Usually he flinched away when anyone dared to touch him. He avoided physical contact because it made everything more confusing for him. He had troubles already, not knowing what was real and what not. And he was starting to think, against all reason and appearances, that Draco might actually be real.

His hand felt soft and warm, and somewhat… comforting. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of warm skin against his own before looking back at the clouds.

*

At one point, Harry got sleepy and tipped over, landing with his head on Draco's shoulder. Draco turned his head, looking at him curiously for a moment before carefully wrapping his arm around the boy and smiling at how peaceful Harry looked. He looked at him for a long while, realizing that he already couldn't imagine a life without Harry. He'd become attached to him so fast and the thought of losing him somehow made him feel oddly empty. He was... fond of Harry (and he usually never used that word), and hoped there was a way to save him.

Tbc…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**

* * *

**

As the days and weeks progressed, Draco was becoming more and more intrigued with Harry. It was almost starting to border on obsession -- at least that was what his co-workers were starting to think. He spent every waking minute either _with_ Harry or thinking about him; and lately, the boy even visited him in his dreams.

But it was all worth it because Harry was getting better every day. He was on the whole more relaxed and… well, cheerful was maybe a strong word for what Harry was, but he seemed… happier. He still wasn't acknowledging anyone but Draco but the progress he'd made with Draco was phenomenal. He smiled, and even occasionally nodded or shook his head when Draco asked him a question. He allowed Draco to touch him and wrap an arm around him; when they read a story together, they even curled up on the couch and did something that could be considered snuggling. And never in his life had Draco allowed anyone to snuggle with him. Every time Draco was around, Harry was looking at him; his faraway gaze had almost completely disappeared. Draco still wished it all would go faster, but he had learned to be patient and grateful for even the tiniest progress.

After a few weeks, he decided it was time to take things a bit further. They were looking at clouds again, Draco's arm securely wrapped around the younger boy. He hesitated for a second before looking at Harry until the other boy looked back at him with a curious expression.

"Harry," Draco said, holding the other boy's gaze and gently brushing his hair out of his face. "You like me, right? We're friends. I'm your friend. I'm looking out for you, and you know that you can trust me… Right?"

Harry didn't nod but he lowered his eyes for a moment before looking back at Draco, and Draco understood the look as a 'yes'. Draco swallowed hard before he spoke again, shifting the words around in his head until they sounded right. If he did this the wrong way, it could screw everything up. But he had a great chance of succeeding, so he just had to risk it.

"If you trust me," he said softly, still looking into those intense green eyes, "you must know that I would never lie to you." He paused and licked his lips, holding his breath. "And this is why I'm asking you to not stay wherever it is you currently are. Come back to me, come back to reality. Do it for me, I promise you won't regret it."

He held his breath as he waited for Harry's reaction. Was this the moment he'd been waiting for since Day One?

*

Harry stared at Draco when he heard those words. He had expected to hear them soon. He'd spent so much time with Draco and he liked and trusted him. But this was a big step. A _huge_ step. And Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to take it.

Draco asked him to go with him. To give up the world *Harry* knew (or didn't know) to join him in _his_ world. Harry did want this to end. And he was tempted to go with Draco. But what if it was a mistake? What if it all turned out wrong? What if Draco wasn't real after all? What if he was just some sweet… angel who tried to lure him into a false sense of security only to laugh at him later?

Harry knew that in the real world, he was alone. He didn't have anyone. His parents were dead; that awful Dark Wizard whose name no one had ever mentioned, had killed them. He didn't know exactly what had happened to the evil Wizard after he'd murdered his parents. Maybe he was still alive, maybe he was dead. How was he supposed to know?

He _did_ have Sirius and Remus and Professor Dumbledore, of course. But how could he be sure if they weren't only figments of his imagination? What if they didn't even belong to the real world, and he was completely mixing up everything? What if all the good things he'd come to love were part of the fictional world, and all the bad things were real? And what if Draco was only a ghost or a shadow that tried to get him onto the wrong side? The bad side? What if…

Harry's head started to spin and he let out a soft whimper, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in the crook of his elbow. He couldn't think about this now. It was too soon. It was too confusing and it just didn't make any sense. None of this. Why was this even happening to him? And why did Draco have to show up and make everything only more complicated? Worse and better at the same time?

"Harry… Harry, it's okay. It's okay, you're not ready. I can wait. I'll ask you again when I think you're ready. I won't go anywhere. I'm with you. I'm always with you." He heard Draco's voice but barely registered it. He curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth and trying to make all the noise go away. He just wanted everything to stop.

When Draco tried to wrap his arms around him again, Harry flinched away and was grateful when Draco didn't push it. Harry couldn't handle his touches right now, as much as he loved them. They felt so real but they were almost too good to be true. And he just… couldn't.

***

Draco felt terrible after Harry had passed out on the couch. He shouldn't have asked. He should've felt that Harry wasn't ready for it. He was usually so good at finding out what Harry needed and wanted. So why hadn't he listened to what his heart had told him and had trusted the impatient voice in his head that always wanted things to happen faster than they were supposed to?

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and covered Harry with a blanket when his breathing evened out, and he was sleeping peacefully. He looked down at him fondly, gently brushing that thick, black hair out of his face and carefully removing the boy's glasses and placing them on the table next to the couch.

He watched him for another moment before sighing and going into his office (which he rarely used). He spent most of his time with Harry in the living room and only ever used the office in the evenings when he wrote down the events of the day into Harry's file.

He finished the paperwork in two hours, drinking an unholy amount of coffee before locking the files and putting them away. He flopped down on his chair again, leaning back and taking a deep breath.

Poor Harry. That look in his eyes when Draco had asked him to come back to life… Draco would never forget it. He could almost hear Harry's mind working at that moment. If he only knew _what_ Harry was thinking about. It drove him insane that he still hadn't figured out a way to cure Harry; but he was now sure that no spell or potion could help Harry.

No, his cure was, for some odd reason, Draco himself. Draco had come to believe this. His co-workers, most of all Abigail, had been bugging him about Harry, asking if he'd found something yet but Draco had always changed the subject. He didn't want to share this with anyone yet because he was pretty sure that they'd all think he was insane.

Maybe he was.

***

"Draco! Oh, Draco!"

Draco groaned when he heard the familiar voice of Abigail Hepburn. He'd been about to leave when he felt her hand on his arm. He _really_ didn't feel like talking to her now, or ever. The flirting hadn't stopped. Every day, she tried to get him to go out with her, and every time Draco declined politely. But for some reason, she just didn't get the hint. Wasn't it completely obvious that he was gay?

"Yes, Abigail?" he asked, trying not to sound _too_ annoyed.

"I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to have a drink with me now," she purred, batting her eyelashes. She looked horrible; had obviously tried to put on makeup in the dimly lit bathroom, using a tiny mirror, and was wearing wayyy too much rouge, mascara and lipstick. And she smelled as if she'd bathed in her perfume.

"Abigail, I already told you that I am not interested," he said as calmly as he could.

"Oh, come on," Abigail said, suggestively letting her fingers run up his chest, imitating legs with her chubby, poorly manicured fingers. "It doesn't have to be a date. We could just… you know… fuck casually."

Draco was at a loss for words. He opened and closed his mouth several times before clearing his throat. "Abigail, I wish I could say this without offending you but I'm rather sure that is impossible," he said, then paused for effect and leaned forward. "I. Am. Not. Interested. I am gay, as you have very well noticed – don't give me that surprised look, you can't fool me. And even if I wasn't gay, I would certainly not and in no way be interested in you. Don't take this the wrong way; I esteem you as a colleague, but nothing more. Are we clear?"

Now it was Abigail who looked stunned and at a loss for words.

***

Harry had been watching the stars from the window when he heard Draco's (and Abigail's) voice. He glanced over his shoulder curiously, wondering what was going on. He could see the two of them discussing something and he slowly rose to his feet, walking closer to them.

When he saw Abigail's hand on Draco's arm, something inside of him snapped and he felt something he'd never felt before. He didn't know what it was but it made him want to… do bad things to Abigail. She was not supposed to touch Draco. No one was supposed to touch Draco. No one but him.

He felt a little better when he realized that Draco didn't seem pleased either and was telling Abigail to leave him alone. Harry didn't know why but something made him want to interfere. He closed the distance between him and Draco, wrapping his arms around Draco and glaring at Abigail. Draco was his. He belonged to him and Abigail was a bad person because she wanted to take him away from him. He had to protect Draco from bad people like her.

He turned his face and buried it in Draco's chest, ignoring Abigail and wishing for her to just go away.

*

Draco looked down at Harry in surprise, not having noticed him before. He saw the fierce, determined look on Harry's face and… that was new. He'd never seen that look on him before and it excited him. It added a whole new range of emotions to Harry's repertoire. Rage. Passion. Probably jealousy. And definitely possessiveness.

Draco was speechless, and it wasn't until Harry turned his face into his chest that he carefully wrapped an arm around Harry as well and held him close. He still had the incident from earlier that day in mind, and wasn't sure if it was wise to touch him, but he did it nevertheless, and he relaxed visibly when Harry allowed it.

He raised an eyebrow at Abigail who suddenly looked like she'd been punched in the face, and she promptly turned around to walk away from them.

Draco smiled down at Harry, gently stroking his hair. Even a few minutes after Abigail had left, Harry didn't budge and just kept clinging to Draco as if he was some kind of anchor that connected him to reality. Which, if Draco really thought about it, was actually the case.

"Harry. Harry, it's okay," he said softly when Harry showed no inclination to let go of him anytime soon. "Abigail his gone now, she's not going to take me away from you. But you still have to let go of me; I need to go home now. It's late; you need to go to bed, and so do I."

At that, Harry's arms only tightened around him and he made a reluctant 'mmmh' sound.

Draco frowned, gently patting Harry's hair as something occurred to him. He had long been thinking about maybe, someday, watching Harry during the night, to see if he could detect anything unusual while Harry was sleeping. It was against hospital regulations, though, and he knew it. Draco was allowed to stay the night at the hospital to work or do whatever, but under no circumstances was he to stay in a patient's room.

Draco was torn between doing the (theoretically) right thing, leaving, and doing what he thought was the best thing for Harry.

In the end, it wasn't a hard choice to make, really. Draco had never been the type to do the right thing or follow the rules.

"All right, Harry," he whispered, stroking Harry's hair affectionately. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here with you, like I promised.

*

An hour later, Harry was asleep in his bed, Draco sitting in an armchair beside him. He'd waited until a nurse had put Harry to bed before he'd noiselessly snuck into his room. Harry had waited for Draco to arrive, somehow understanding that it wasn't permitted for Draco to be in there. They looked at each other with a small smile for a long moment before Draco watched Harry's eyes flutter closed as he slowly dozed off.

He looked so relaxed, like all his worries had suddenly vanished. Small and vulnerable, and so beautiful in the soft, white light of the moon. Draco was reminded of an angel as he watched Harry. He wanted to reach out and run his hand through that thick, black hair but Harry needed rest, so Draco held himself back.

He sat there in silence, jumping at the slightest noise outside. He knew he was doing the right thing for Harry. It might have been a fatal mistake to leave him alone after such an eventful and emotional day.

Draco was still surprised about Harry's reaction to Abigail's flirting. Usually, he never even registered anything or anyone while he was watching clouds – or stars in the evening, so it was surprising that he'd even heard them talk. And after the failed attempt to make Harry come back to reality earlier that day, it surprised Draco even more that Harry would have such a strong reaction. It was as if he'd been afraid of someone other than him touching Draco. Draco had never suspected that Harry had such a possessive and jealous side. It was nice to see that Harry seemed to have grown fond of Draco as well. Because Draco had long fallen for—and this was a thought he should probably not think through.

Draco was interrupted and pulled out of his thoughts, by a small noise coming from Harry. Draco blinked because that had sounded like…

"Draco…," Harry murmured and then he did the most adorable thing Draco had ever seen. He pulled the pillow out from under his head and wrapped his arms around it and hugged it, as if he was convinced it was a person… Draco. The smile that followed made Draco's stomach flutter.

Wow.

Tbc…

* * *

A/N: Thanks to NinjaOfTheDarkness for the idea of jealous!Harry ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**

* * *

**

"What in _Merlin's_ name…?!"

Draco sat up abruptly and looked around, blinking and feeling completely disoriented. What was going on? Where was he? Why on earth was Abigail in his room?

What the…

Oh.

_OH._

He swallowed hard as he slowly slid out of the bed, wondering how he'd even got there. Harry whined at first but then slowly opened his eyes and looked at him with a sleepy smile. And then Draco remembered.

After hearing his name the day before, he just had to get up and touch Harry. Not in a creepy or perverse way. He only brushed the younger boy's hair out of his face to show him some affection and comfort. After all, the first word he – or anyone – had ever heard from Harry had been _his_ name and he was just completely overwhelmed. And then he must've fallen asleep at some point.

"You are in big trouble, Malfoy," Abigail snapped and stomped off to alert… whoever. The boss, or the security guards. Draco couldn't help but wonder if she had reacted like that if he had agreed to date or sleep with her. Yes, he wasn't allowed to sleep in there, for some unfathomable reason, but it wasn't like he had harmed Harry in any way. It was only for his best.

Harry was eyeing him curiously and Draco managed to smile, even though he knew that he was in a very problematic situation right now. He sat down on the edge of Harry's bed again, gently brushing his fingers over the back of Harry's hand before looking up into his eyes. "I need to go and talk to Abigail, Harry. See if I can calm her down, okay? I'll see you later, Harry. Don't worry, I will be back."

After those words, he gave him another smile, then slowly rose to his feet and made his way out of the bedroom to face his fate. He just hoped they didn't fire him…

The moment he entered the large living room, he came face to face with a very furious Abigail; and was horrified to see that her face was almost purple in her rage. He tried to give her a smile but that only made her face darken, so he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look, Abby—"

"Don't even try to talk yourself out of this one, Malfoy," she interrupted him, and then she smirked evilly. "I just talked to the attending Healer and he's waiting for you."

She folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, making Draco want to punch that self-satisfied smirk out of her face – and that was saying something as he was not usually a physically violent person. He narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits and sneered at her before walking past her and making his way to the big boss's office.

He couldn't deny that he was nervous. His career didn't matter to him anymore at this point. But if they really _did_ decide to fire him now… What would become of Harry? How would he take it? All the progress they'd made would be in vain and Harry would possibly be lost forever. Surely they would put Harry's health before their need to punish Draco. Right?

Right now, Draco wasn't so sure, especially when he saw the stern frown of Severus Snape. So far, they'd gotten along well. Draco's father and Snape had always been friends, and so Draco had known him for a long time. He was used to Snape's default scowl but what he was facing now was a full-on glare.

"Mr. Snape," Draco said politely as he entered the room, closing the door behind him, and then sitting down on the chair opposite Snape's desk. He swallowed audibly when the piercing black eyes stared at him.

"Miss Hepburn informed me of what happened," Snape finally spoke, narrowing his eyes.

Draco bit his lip and nodded. "I can explain it," he said immediately but Snape only snorted.

"You can save yourself the trouble," he remarked in a dangerous, calm voice. "You know the hospital regulations, Mr. Malfoy. In fact, I am sure that you were the only one who got the full score on the test about them, so I'm more than certain that you are familiar with them. Why you would break them is beyond me and there simply is no excuse for what you did."

Draco was starting to get angry and returned the other man's glare with equal annoyance. "If you'd just let me explain," he said again, "you would see that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for my actions."

Snape raised an eyebrow, obviously not convinced, but he finally waved his hand as a way to tell Draco to go ahead and give it a try.

"As you know I have been working on Harry Potter's case," Draco said. "And I have made remarkable progresses with him. He's starting to open up to me and I am certain that we are only days away from a break-through. Harry has been almost normal around me and, well, yesterday was very emotional and eventful for him and he wouldn't let me leave."

"That is no excuse," Snape said sharply, glaring at him again. "You still knowingly broke the rules and didn't even have the decency to try and ask for my permission to stay with your patient during the nights. We have been known to make exceptions if the case requires it, but you didn't feel the need to do that, so you'll have to deal with the consequences. You have always had your own head, Mr. Malfoy, but this is too severe a mistake for me to overlook."

"But sir--," Draco tried to interrupt him but was silenced by Snape's raised hand, who continued as if Draco had never said anything.

"It has also been brought to my attention that you have been rather obsessed with your case lately, to the point that both you and your patient have formed an attachment to each other that is no longer strictly professional. You know very well that this is unacceptable, and I have been considering removing you from the case for weeks now."

"What?!" Draco snapped, eyes widening. "But why—"

"Do not question my motives," Snape said in a quiet, dangerous voice, his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "I have known your father, Mr. Malfoy, and I still have a very close friendship with your mother which is why I am not going to permanently expel you. I do think it's wise, however, that you take some time off from the job. You are hereby temporarily suspended."

Draco stood up so abruptly that he sent his chair flying to the floor. This could not be happening to him. This could not be happening to _Harry_! All the progress he'd made… He couldn't let them ruin this. But to convince Snape, he had to be calm. He closed his eyes and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Snape, I don't think you quite get the extent of the mistake you're making right now," he said quietly. "It's not like I'm doing any of this for myself. All I want is for Harry to get better and—"

"And that is exactly what's worrying me," Snape said, rising to his feet as well and pinning Draco with his strict glare. "You have become far too attached to the boy which is why it is necessary for you to spend some time away from the hospital and Mr. Potter. You need to reflect on what you've done and consider if this really is the right job for you."

Draco snorted angrily, and in a moment of rage, he lifted his hand and punched Snape straight in the nose, his knuckles cracking a little when his fist connected with the older man's unnaturally large, bony nose.

The moment he'd done it, his eyes widened and he knew that this was the end. Now they _would_ fire him and he would never see Harry again. He watched with horror as Snape collapsed back into his chair, holding his abused nose before fixing him with the ugliest glare yet. Snape grabbed his wand and waved it, and a second later two security guards stormed into the room, grabbing Draco by the arms and tugging him out of the room.

"Make that a permanent suspension, Mr. Malfoy," he heard Snape bark in his office before he was taken downstairs and literally thrown out of the hospital. He watched one of the burly security guards pull out his wand and mutter a spell before both of them disappeared back in the building. When Draco tried to enter the hospital again, he was roughly pushed away by an invisible barrier.

"Fuck!"

*

Harry screamed, not caring what they would do to him. They had taken Draco away. They'd taken him away from him. How could they DO that?! Now what did he have that was worth living for? What?

"Hold still, Harry, or I will have to hurt you," Abigail said firmly, and Harry continued struggling before she sedated him. He felt his body get weak and cried silently, wanting his Draco.

His last thought before he drifted into unconsciousness was that he would find Draco.

*

Draco had been sitting at home all day, watching TV without really seeing anything and not knowing what to do with himself. Snape had fired him. Just like that. All right, punching him had probably been a bad idea. He'd never lost control over himself like this. For some reason, Harry provoked feelings in him that he'd never experienced before. He couldn't place them, exactly but now he realized that Snape must've been right about one point. Harry and Draco's relationship had definitely crossed the Healer-patient barrier.

He sighed and got up, walking to the window and staring out into the darkness, thinking about Harry. He was alone. All alone in that clinical, white room, probably missing him and thinking Draco had betrayed him. It would certainly look like that, from Harry's point of view. He'd promised he'd come back and he never had. It looked like Draco had just left Harry all alone there. Which he hadn't. He'd wanted to stay; they hadn't let him.

"Goddammit," he muttered when the doorbell rang. He'd told Pansy and Blaise to piss off when they'd visited him earlier, so who else could this be? He looked a little more hopeful when it occurred to him that it might be someone from work. Someone who'd tell him that they were sorry, that they'd made a mistake, that he was the only one who could heal Harry.

_Yeah right, Malfoy._

His surprise was clearly written across his face when he opened the door and saw…

"Harry!"

He didn't even have a second to process the fact that _Harry_ was standing in front of his door before he had his arms full of Harry.

"Draco," Harry whispered, burying his face in Draco's chest and clinging to him in desperation.

Draco's eyes widened and he couldn't help but stare at him, wondering if he was even real. "Harry, what are you doing here?" he asked, returning the embrace. He looked around in the corridor to see if he was alone. He was. "Did you run away, Harry? How on earth did you find me? Do they know you left?"

Harry didn't answer, so Draco pulled him into his flat. He closed and locked the door with one hand as his other arm was still wrapped around the younger boy. He guided Harry into his living room, gently pushing him down on the couch and looking at him. Harry was wearing his pyjamas and not even socks or shoes! His face was pale, his eyes red and puffy as if he'd been crying all day.

"Harry… What happened? How did you get here?" he asked softly, brushing the boy's hair out of his face as he sat down next to him and looked at him intently.

Harry stared down at the couch, biting his lip, then looked back at Draco, his lip quivering. "Took Draco away," he whispered, then wrapped his arms around Draco shyly and snuggled his face into his chest. Draco was almost bursting with joy when he heard two more words from Harry. He really could talk! And he _was_ talking. Because of him.

At the same time, he also realized that that was all he'd get out of Harry tonight. The boy seemed exhausted, and even though Draco was damn curious about how the hell Harry had managed to get out of the hospital, had found out where Draco lived and managed to get there, he contented himself with just holding Harry and whispering reassuring words.

"Did they hurt you, Harry?" he asked softly, noting that the boy was trembling. Harry seemed to hesitate a moment but then he nodded. Draco's arms tightened unconsciously around him and he rubbed his back comfortingly. "What did they do to you?"

"Took Draco away," Harry repeated, and Draco wondered if that really was all. If they'd really, physically hurt him or if… only his absence had caused Harry pain. Then he suddenly realized that Harry had apparently understood that THEY had made him leave and that he hadn't decided that for himself.

"I… hit my boss," Draco said then apologetically. "He wanted to take me away from you because I slept in your room. And then I got angry and punched him in the nose." He could hear a soft snicker from Harry and smiled, burying his face in that thick, black hair. "And then they threw me out. I'm not allowed to go back there, Harry."

Draco could feel Harry frown against his neck and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Draco," he could hear Harry, who was still clinging to him like a baby koala, murmur again.

Draco smiled but sighed thoughtfully. What was he going to do? He couldn't keep Harry here but he couldn't take him back either. No one would notice he was gone tonight, or so Draco hoped. He'd keep him there for one night, and tomorrow morning he would think about what to do again.

Right now, they were both tired and desperately needed sleep.

*

"Are you comfortable?" Draco asked, fluffing up Harry's pillow and looking into his eyes. Harry looked back, then shook his head, biting his lip shyly. "No?" Draco raised an eyebrow, but then he understood, when Harry tugged on the sleeve of Draco's shirt to pull him down onto the bed with him.

He hesitated for a second since his initial plan had been that Harry slept in the bed and Draco on the couch. But the look in Harry's eyes made his face soften into a smile and he finally slid under the covers with Harry and looked at him for a long moment. Harry seemed to relax again, and then surprisingly turned around. He looked at Draco from over his shoulder and Draco moved closer. He spooned Harry, carefully wrapping his arm around him, their bodies pressed together.

*

Harry's heart started beating faster and he had the funniest sensation in his stomach. It felt like butterflies were fluttering their wings inside his belly. He leaned back against Draco, relaxing completely and inhaling deeply. This was perfect. More than perfect. This was how he wanted to fall asleep for the rest of his life.

He still couldn't really believe he was really here. Outside the hospital, in Draco's home. And he knew that he was probably in serious trouble but right now he didn't really care. He had his Draco back.

He let out a soft giggle when he felt Draco's nose brush the back of his neck, and pulled Draco's arms tighter around him. "Nighty, Draco," he whispered before closing his eyes and slowly dozing off. He never heard Draco's soft voice as he whispered back, "Goodnight… my Harry."

Tbc…


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

**

* * *

**The next morning, Draco was the first to wake up. At first, he felt a bit disoriented, waking up next to a warm body snuggled into him. He hadn't had sex in… well, far too long, and so it surprised him to find that he wasn't alone. But after only a moment, he realized who the person next to him was.

Harry.

He smiled and opened his eyes, slowly propping his head up on his arm and looking at the face of the sleeping boy in front of him. He still couldn't really believe he was here. How the hell had he managed to get out of the hospital and all across the city without being seen? How had he even found out Draco's address? It was all a big mystery and Draco wasn't sure he'd ever find out how Harry had managed that. All he knew was that it was highly remarkable and it proved that this… bond between them was stronger than Draco had initially thought.

After making sure that Harry was still asleep, Draco slid out of the bed and made his way first to the bathroom, then the kitchen, preparing breakfast for Harry. The food at the hospital couldn't possibly be better than his delicious, rich breakfast. He was sure that Harry would like it.

He placed everything on a tray and carefully carried it back into the bedroom where Harry was still dozing. Draco was amused to note that in his absence Harry had spread out and was now diagonally splayed across the mattress.

Draco made the tray float for a while and sat down on the edge of the bed, gently brushing Harry's hair out of his forehead, noticing the small, lightning bolt shaped scar. It was usually hidden by Harry's long fringe but now that Draco saw it, he knew that this must be the only visual sign that the Avada Kedavra had left on Harry.

A shiver went through Draco's body as he imagined Harry as a baby and the dark figure of Lord Voldemort looming over him and hitting him with the curse. How Harry had survived it was beyond him.

He must've stared at the scar for a long moment, lost in his thoughts because it took him a while to notice that Harry had opened his eyes and was staring up at him. Draco cleared his throat and gave him a small smile.

"Good morning, you," he said quietly, watching Harry sit up a little before Draco placed the tray on his lap, watching Harry look at the food curiously. "Your glasses are on the nightstand." Harry glanced over and took them, sliding them onto his nose and giving Draco a small, grateful smile.

Draco slid under the covers beside him, and started eating, watching Harry do the same. They ate in silence, and when they were both sufficiently nourished, Draco floated the tray back into the kitchen before turning to Harry and looking at him seriously.

"Look, Harry," he said softly. "I really don't want to do this but I have to take you back to the hospital. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get my job back but they need to know you are okay. Do you understand this?"

He held his breath as he watched Harry process this. Draco had been thinking about this all the while preparing Harry's breakfast. And it broke his heart just thinking about leaving Harry alone in that hospital but it was the right thing to do... right? Draco watched Harry intently, seeing the younger man scrunch up his nose and frown. Harry looked like he was considering it for only a moment, before he shook his head vehemently, hesitantly reaching out to take Draco's hand. "Draco," he whispered, and shook his head again.

Draco closed his eyes and sighed. He had expected this, to be honest. He was torn between being happy because Harry seemed just as reluctant to leave him as Draco was himself, and frustrated because Harry made this so much harder for him. He was beginning to doubt that bringing Harry back into the hospital really was the right decision. He seemed much happier here, in Draco's comfortable flat than in the clinical surroundings he'd known his entire life. And Draco was absolutely certain that Harry would be cured much faster somewhere else than that sodding hospital...

"Harry," he said hesitantly, sighing. He looked into those green eyes and made a decision. He wouldn't bring Harry back to the hospital. But he couldn't stay here either because sooner or later, Severus would come to him in his search for Harry. So they had to leave the city. And Draco knew just the place.

"All right," he murmured, reaching out to tangle his fingers in Harry's soft hair. "I'm not going to leave you, Harry."

At that, Harry's face broke into the sweetest smile Draco had ever seen, and despite his worries, he couldn't help but smile back.

*

Harry watched Draco pack his things and he felt his own heart beat faster. They were going away somewhere. Harry was scared, he couldn't deny that. He'd never been anywhere but that hospital and… well, here. And now Draco would take him somewhere else and Harry could barely contain his excitement.

When Draco had stuffed a few clothes and other necessities into his bag, he turned to Harry, running a hand through his own hair and pushing his glasses up his nose thoughtfully, making Harry smile. Draco noticed his look and his beautiful features softened into an equally affectionate smile.

"I think I've got everything, Harry," he said. "Are you ready to go?"

Harry found himself nodding and stood up, hesitantly taking Draco's hand. He still wasn't one hundred percent convinced that Draco really _was_ real but he had decided to trust him. Draco was the best thing that had ever happened to Harry and he wouldn't let go of him. Wherever Draco was – whether it was the real world or only Harry's imagination – was where Harry wanted to be too.

Draco held Harry's hand and pulled him closer to him, carefully wrapping an arm around him. Harry closed his eyes and leaned against him, not really sure what was going to happen now but he thought that Draco probably knew what to do.

He gasped when, a few moments later, he felt the uncomfortable tug of Apparition and held onto Draco as he transported them to wherever it was they were going...

*

"Harry. Harry, it's okay," Draco said softly, smiling down at Harry who was still clinging to him five minutes after they'd arrived at their destination. He watched those long, inky lashes flutter a little, and then Harry looked up at him, blinking and looking visibly relieved that Draco was still with him.

Draco looked into those big, green eyes again, losing himself in their depth before he reluctantly pulled away and deposited his suitcase on the small coffee table. He walked to the window and opened the shades, apologizing when Harry flinched back at the bright, warm sun light flowing through them. He opened the window to let some fresh air into the house, taking a deep breath and smiling.

They were in one of the Malfoys' vacation homes in Scotland. It was the first place that came to mind when Draco thought about getting away from the city and being somewhere no one would find him. Only few people knew of their little idyllic cottage in the highlands of Scotland and he could be sure that no one would barge in here unexpectedly. His parents, especially Lucius, hated this house. Draco sometimes wondered why he'd even bothered to buy it. It was rather small and far from luxurious which was why it was apparently not up to a Malfoy's standards.

At one point, Lucius had even wanted to pull it down and replace it with a Manor very similar to the one in Wiltshire, and it had been Draco who had protested and stopped his father from doing it. He'd always been rather fond of the small cottage and the gorgeous landscapes all around it, and so Lucius had wound up giving it to Draco who'd accepted it gratefully.

And now he was here again. With Harry.

He turned around and gave Harry, who looked a little worried, a reassuring smile before opening the rest of the shades which instantly lit up the cottage.

"What do you think?" he asked finally, leaning against the sill above the fireplace and looking at Harry curiously. "Think you can put up with me here with me for a while?"

Harry looked out of a window, his face lighting up before he turned his head to Draco and nodded, smiling.

"Very well," Draco said, smiling in relief. He took Harry's hand and led him upstairs, showing him one of the two small yet comfortable bedrooms, where Harry would be sleeping; unless he preferred sleeping with Draco. Not WITH Draco but in Draco's bed.

Unless...

No, that was not a place Draco would go tonight; or ever. It was bad enough that he'd gotten this attached to Harry, he would not risk making everything worse by coming onto him or something. So unless Harry explicitly demanded for something like that to happen...

_Shut up, Malfoy. He is just a kid and you're not going to do anything._

"So, this is where you'll sleep, and... I'm just next door, so whenever you have a bad dream, you know where to find me, okay? There's no need to be scared of anything; I'm here to protect you, okay?"

He smiled at Harry and automatically reached out to run his fingers through that thick, inky black hair, losing himself in Harry's eyes again. He twirled a strand of Harry's dark, thick hair around his fingers, his face softening. "No one's going to hurt you," he promised. "Not while I'm around."

Harry looked back at him, smiling when Draco said those last words. He promptly leaned forward and hugged Draco briefly before blushing a little and smiling at him still. Draco chuckled softly, ignoring the way his heart had skipped a beat at having Harry so close.

They stared at each other for another moment before Draco smiled and dropped his hand. "Anyway, here's the bathroom and... the kitchen's downstairs and that is basically everything you need to know. Do you want to explore the surroundings for a bit? It's gorgeous here; everything is so green and... just overwhelmingly pretty. You will like it for sure. And maybe afterwards we can get you some new clothes. You still have your hospital robes on and it might be better for you to wear something different. And we need groceries, so we have to leave the house anyway."

He pondered for a moment, then made his suitcase float upstairs and rummaged through it, pulling out a set of Muggle clothes that weren't too big and would fit Harry. "Here, Harry. They're probably a little too wide and long for you, but I can shrink them to a reasonable size later."

Harry looked down at himself as if realizing for the first time what exactly he was wearing. True, it had probably never been his first priority and Draco suddenly wondered if the boy had ever seen himself in a mirror...

"Do you want me to help you or will you be all right?" Draco asked, tilting his head as he waited for Harry to answer, wishing both Harry would say no because his attraction to Harry was starting to get the better of him and he didn't know if he could restrain himself for much longer.

Fuck, when exactly had this happened? Yes, he liked Harry but at first it had only been this sort of mother hen complex where he'd wanted to make sure that Harry was okay and looked after. Now... He wasn't so sure anymore. He'd always been aware of how handsome Harry was. But never before had he looked at Harry as a potential... what, boyfriend? Lover?

Oh god, he should just stop thinking altogether because wherever he was going with this... It was not supposed to happen.

He almost breathed out in relief and disappointment at the same time when Harry shook his head and gave him a small smile before disappearing in the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Draco closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment before groaning and throwing himself onto his bed, banging his head against the mattress.

What was _wrong_ with him?!

*

The first thing Harry noticed when he came into the bathroom was the mirror. He flinched when he saw someone staring back at him, and he held his breath for a moment before realizing that it wasn't some stranger.

It was him.

He blinked and slowly walked closer to it, reaching out to touch the surface of the mirror and stare at himself. He'd never seen himself before. The bathroom at the hospital didn't hold a mirror for some reason, so until now, Harry had had no idea what he looked like.

He looked at the messy, longish, black hair, the pale skin, the straight nose. He took in the full, pink lips and the intense, deep green eyes behind the round glasses. He also noticed the funnily shaped scar on his forehead and just stared at his reflection curiously for a long moment, suddenly becoming aware of himself.

He... existed. He'd never seen his face before and now he suddenly realized that, just like Draco and all the other people in his life, he... had a face of his own. It had never occurred to him before, for some reason. He'd never thought much about himself because he'd always been busy trying to figure out whether things _around_ him were real.

He lifted a hand to his cheek and touched himself, watching the other Harry in the mirror do the same. He smiled hesitantly and touched his lips, wrinkling his nose and letting out a soft snicker at how stupid his face looked when he did this.

This... seeing himself for the first time... made everything so much clearer but more confusing at the same time. And he didn't want to think about it right now because Draco wanted to take him somewhere but... Seeing his face in the mirror made him hope that he *was* indeed real and... Draco too. He beamed for a moment, then stuck his tongue out at himself before he blushed, realizing that he must look pretty stupid. Okay, no one saw him but he still felt ridiculous spending so much time in front of the mirror, so he tore his eyes – rather reluctantly – away from the mirror and stripped down to his boxers before putting on the clothes that Draco had laid out for him. He looked at himself again, realizing how much skinnier and shorter he was than Draco.

Wearing Draco's clothes made him smile because they smelled of him and were very comfortable. He felt _right_ in them, and after staring at himself for another moment, he exited the bathroom, quirking an eyebrow curiously and grinning amusedly when he saw Draco on the bed. He cleared his throat tentatively, smiling when Draco looked up and returned the smile.

"Ready to go?" Draco asked, sitting up again; and after taking a deep breath, Harry nodded. He would see something else than the inside of a building. He'd see the outside. The real world.

Tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

**

* * *

**

They left the house after Draco'd made sure that Harry was warm enough. He watched Harry's eyes widen as they were outside the door, watching him take everything in. He couldn't blame Harry's amazement; the landscapes _were_ beautiful. He frowned when he watched Harry's initial amazement turn into panic and before he knew it, Harry was clutching Draco's hand in his own, holding onto him.

Draco carefully slid an arm around Harry, squeezing him reassuringly. "It's okay, Harry," he said softly. "There's nothing you need to be afraid of. No one's going to hurt you, okay? It's just… the world."

He looked around at the mountains and the lake in the valley by the village. "Trust me," he said to Harry, looking into his fearful eyes. "Nothing can happen to you while I'm with you. All right?"

Harry still looked uneasy but he managed to nod and even give him one of those tiny smiles that took Draco's breath away.

They proceeded to make their way into the valley to take a walk through the village. It was a Muggle village which suited Draco perfectly. Wizards – even up here in Scotland – tended to recognize him and he really didn't feel like explaining who Harry was. It was freeing, in a way, to be able to take a walk and not get any cross looks for what his father had done in the past. He still suffered from his father's association with Voldemort and the Death Eaters and he hadn't realized how much he longed to get out of the city until they were in said village where everyone greeted him friendly without even a hint of apprehension.

They hit the shops and purchased a few new clothes for Harry that fit him. Harry seemed to relax after some time which, in turn, made Draco much more comfortable as well. He didn't want to scare Harry but it was necessary for him to get out of the house every once in a while.

He could only imagine what it had to be like to be held captive in that depressing hospital for almost eighteen years. Maybe none of this would have happened if they had let Harry grow up with Black and Lupin. Or even Dumbledore.

But there was no way of knowing that. As they walked towards the lake, Draco thought of something that he'd been wondering about a lot since last night; how Harry had managed to escape and find Draco's house. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't possible that he'd walked out of the hospital and taken the tube to Draco's flat. He must've found some other way. Draco wondered if Harry remembered and if he'd be able to tell him some day.

They were still holding hands as they reached the edge of the lake and Draco noticed Harry glance at the lake curiously. He smiled and led him to the shore before letting go of Harry's hand to let him explore on his own.

Harry looked at him worriedly but at Draco's reassuring nod, he slowly walked towards the water, kneeling in the grass and carefully reaching out to touch the water. Draco leaned back and enjoyed the heat of the sun combined with the fresh air while he observed Harry curiously. Harry picked up a stone and tentatively threw it into the water, letting out a surprised squeak when a few drops of water hit his face.

Draco laughed and the rest of the afternoon was spent by the lake. Draco was almost reluctant to go back to their cottage but his stomach was starting to growl and he thought that Harry must be hungry too.

*

While Draco was cooking, Harry sat at the kitchen table and drew. Draco had gotten him some paper and a pencil and Harry was drawing the beautiful lake they'd seen this afternoon, and the mountains. As a finishing touch, he added himself and Draco, holding hands while they watched the sunset.

He wanted to share with Draco how much he'd enjoyed being outside. He could feel that Draco was waiting for Harry to talk to him, tell him what he was thinking and feeling and Harry was starting to think that he might be ready to talk to Draco.

He was quite convinced that everything Draco had shown him was the real world. He'd never expected it to be so breathtakingly beautiful. There really didn't seem to be anything bad in the real world, except maybe the hospital but they were far away; Harry knew that much. And Draco had repeatedly promised that he would let nothing happen to Harry and Harry trusted him infinitely.

Yes, he was ready to come out of his shell.

When Draco finished cooking, Harry got up and hesitantly showed him his drawing. He watched Draco's face anxiously, wondering if he'd like it. He let out a relieved sigh when Draco looked honestly impressed.

"That's amazing, Harry," he said, touching his shoulder gently and Harry couldn't help but lean into the tender touch. "You've got a real talent here."

Then Draco gave him that brilliant, honest smile and Harry smiled back, feeling his cheeks heat up a little.

They ate in relative silence, Draco occasionally telling Harry something about the history of the village or why he liked this place so much. Harry listened intently, smiling because everything Draco said seemed to be exactly what Harry was thinking.

When Draco got up to do the washing up, Harry watched him silently, bringing up the courage to say something. He cleared his throat silently and opened his mouth several time but no sound came out. He didn't even know what to say and had to close his eyes before he just said what he was thinking.

"Thank you, Draco," he said in a soft voice, looking up at Draco's back hesitantly, wondering if Draco could hear him. He panicked briefly, wondering what would happen if Draco didn't hear him. What if he'd imagined everything that had happened? What if Draco or anything that had happened since he'd come into Harry's life hadn't been real after all? What if… He held his breath as he waited for Draco to react, hoping all of this hadn't just been a really wonderful dream.

*

Draco's body stiffened when he heard the voice. His eyes widened and he held his breath, wondering if he'd just imagined it or if Harry had really said those words. He whirled around, eyes still wide and searching Harry's face.

"What?" he whispered, praying to God or whoever else was up there that his ears hadn't deceived him.

Harry looked embarrassed and hesitant, glancing up at him with those huge green eyes through his long, black fringe. He opened his mouth again and Draco realized that he was still holding his breath.

"Thank you," Harry said again, his voice not shaking this time. Harry looked just as anxious as Draco and Draco felt another surge of deep affection for the younger boy. "Thank you for… bringing me here."

Draco had the presence of mind to not just drop the foamy plate he was holding and managed to push it onto the kitchen counter before he made his way to Harry, sitting down on the chair beside him. "You're welcome, Harry," he said carefully, hoping he wouldn't scare Harry back into his own world again. "I wanted to show you this and I'm glad you like it."

"I do," Harry said softly, giving him a hesitant smile, obviously infinitely relieved that Draco was talking to him.

Draco's face broke into a smile and he bit his lip hesitantly, shaking his head. "I can't believe you're talking to me!" Draco blurted out happily, still smiling. He carefully reached for Harry's hand and squeezed it. "I knew you'd come out of your shell eventually."

Harry looked down, biting his lip awkwardly but still smiling. "I'm sorry," he said then and Draco shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Harry. None of this is your fault. I knew you needed time and I'm glad all the waiting paid off," he said, squeezing Harry's hand again. He was silent for a moment, just looking into Harry's eyes and thinking of things to say to keep the conversation going. He didn't want Harry to be afraid to talk; he wanted Harry to share everything with him.

"So you remember everything?" Draco asked softly. "You know me?"

"Yes," Harry answered, licking his lips. He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, apparently still afraid that his voice or something else would fail him. "I thought you weren't real."

Draco nodded, never breaking eye contact. "I know," he said softly. "But now you know that I am, right? I am real and you're safe with me."

Harry nodded, giving him a sudden wide smile before blushing and looking down again. Draco chuckled, still unable to believe that the moment had finally come, after long weeks of waiting and hoping.

"Let me just… finish the washing up and then we can talk, okay? Do you want some hot chocolate?"

Harry pondered the question for a few seconds, then nodded, smiling. Draco answered the smile, then waved his wand to do the washing up; not bothering with doing it traditionally anymore. Now that Harry was actually talking, he wanted to keep him talking, afraid that he'd somehow lose him if he didn't.

When the hot chocolate was ready, they made their way into the living room and got comfortable on the couch where Harry sipped his drink slowly before putting the cup down and turning to Draco.

"So, tell me," Draco said, reaching out to touch Harry's hand again, unable to prevent himself from touching him. "How did you find me? How did you manage to get out of the hospital?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, frowning as if he didn't really know it himself. "I thought of you," he admitted at last, searching Draco's eyes. "They took you away from me. And they hurt me, so I waited until it was dark a-and then I just thought of you and… got there."

Draco looked at him with fascination, trying to grasp what Harry was trying to explain to him. Harry had Apparated? Without ever learning how to do that? Wow. That was impressive.

It suddenly occurred to Draco that he'd never actually thought about Harry's magical abilities. He'd never made anything happen since he'd never been upset enough for that. But then they'd fired Draco and removed him from the hospital, so his magic had probably taken Harry straight to him.

It still amazed Draco. Harry's magic had to be extremely powerful to make something like that possible. The strength of his magic combined with the obvious strength of their bond… Wow.

"That's amazing," Draco said finally, smiling at Harry. "You Apparated. You are a very powerful wizard, Harry. You know you are a wizard, right?"

Harry looked at him thoughtfully, uncertain of what to say. "I am?" he finally asked in a small voice, and Draco nodded. "Yes. Yes, you are. When you're ready, we're going to get you a wand and I can start teaching you some spells."

Harry's eyes lit up at that and Draco chuckled, lacing their fingers together and looking at him affectionately. "I'm really glad, you came back, Harry. I'm glad you trusted me enough to come to me."

Harry smiled shyly and Draco leaned forward to hug the boy tightly. Harry seemed to tense for a moment but then he relaxed and returned the embrace with equal urgency. "I am glad too," Harry whispered, closing his eyes and burying his face in Draco's neck.

*

They talked for what seemed like hours. Draco didn't want to strain Harry with too many deep questions that he might not be able to answer just yet, so he settled for small talk about random things and he was pleased to see that Harry seemed to enjoy their conversation just as much as he did.

He found that he really liked the way Harry thought and he realized that his affection for Harry grew with every word he spoke. They laughed together and got along really well and Draco was almost disappointed when Harry started to yawn, his eyes drooping.

He convinced him to go to bed and made sure to tuck him in, tamely kissing Harry's forehead before leaving his room to go to bed as well.

He'd lain in his bed, thinking about the major progress of the day for about fifteen minutes when the door to his bedroom opened and Harry padded into the room, standing at his bed hesitantly for a moment before sliding under the covers next to Draco. He snuggled into him and Draco smiled, wrapping his arms around him, watching Harry's face as the boy slowly fell asleep. He brushed Harry's hair behind his ear and kissed his forehead again, smiling as he closed his eyes as well.

Harry was back.

Tbc...


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting this long. RL was stressful and I was busy with other fandom projects, so I had to hiatus this for a while. But here's the next chapter and I hope that I'll be able to finish this story soon :) Also, this chapter is rated R, just to warn you. I'd also like to point out that the story is still unbeta'ed, and I wrote this in one go without rereading it, so don't crucio me if you see any typos. Hope you'll like it!

**Part 8**

* * *

In the next few days, Harry came out of his shell more and more, and Draco found out that the person that had been hidden inside of the scrawny boy's body was even more interesting than he'd thought. Draco loved listening to what Harry had to say and absorbed every little detail Harry told him about his life so far. It was fascinating to Draco, and he made sure to remember everything, so he could scribble it into his notebook. When Harry was asleep at nights, he was sitting in the living room, examining the things he'd heard that day about how Harry had never been sure which side was reality and what he'd only made up in his head.

Harry's really was an interesting case, and once again, Draco thanked whomever was up there for allowing him to meet this fascinating boy.

Sometimes, Draco felt guilty for just taking Harry away. He was sure people like Dumbledore, Black or Lupin were worried about him, and probably looking all over for both of them. But at the same time, he couldn't feel guilty because without this trip, Harry would've probably never come out of his shell.

Their friendship intensified over the past few days, and soon Draco came to realize that 'friendship' probably wasn't the right word to describe what they had. He knew that his feelings for Harry weren't platonic anymore, but at the same time, their relationship wasn't dominated by sexual desire. Draco just wanted to be close to Harry, and if the way Harry snuggled into him at every opportunity was any indication, Harry felt the same for him.

But Draco wouldn't push Harry. If Harry ever decided he wanted more from Draco, it was up to him to let Draco know. Because Draco would certainly not take advantage of the younger boy.

*

And so it came one night, when Harry was snuggled into Draco in his bed, that Draco woke up because something was poking him into his left thigh. He frowned and opened his eyes, only to find his face buried in a nest of messy, black hair. He wasn't surprised to find Harry in his bed because he slept there every night. He was however surprised when he saw that Harry was awake and looking up at him with those hypnotizing green eyes.

"Hey," Draco murmured. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

And then he knew.

He realized what the poking was and bit his lip. Harry was hard. And he'd probably never been hard before and Draco could only imagine what had to be going on in the other boy's head right now. He would have to slowly break Harry into this, explain to him what it meant and… God, he was not ready for this. He hadn't even thought about this before, and he certainly hadn't expected Harry to get a hard-on in Draco's bed.

All of this didn't stop Draco's cock from hardening as well, though, and he sucked in a sharp breath when Harry shifted and their erections were resting against each other.

He opened his mouth, determined to explain it to Harry, but for whatever reason no tone came out of his mouth. He opened and closed it a couple of times but he didn't really know what to say in the first place.

Harry was still staring up at him with those big, green eyes and he surprisingly seemed much more comfortable in this position than Draco obviously was. Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes, swallowing hard. Maybe Harry didn't even realize both of them were hard. Maybe he should just go back to sleep and forget all about this. Maybe—

And then he felt the tentative brush of Harry's lips against his own. Draco's eyebrows shot up into his forehead and he cracked one eye open, just to make sure that this was really happening. He was greeted with the sight of Harry's face _so close_ to his own, and Harry _was_, indeed, kissing him. His long, inky black lashes fluttered against his pale skin while he pressed his lips a little more insistently against Draco's.

And that was the moment when Draco realized that Harry seemed to know perfectly well what he was doing, and Draco allowed himself to relax. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes as well, carefully wrapping an arm around the other boy's shoulders. He tilted his head a little to prevent their noses from bumping into each other and parted his lips to kiss Harry more fully.

The little moan that escaped Harry's lips at that went straight to Draco's cock, and he had to fight hard against the urge to pounce the beautiful boy in his bed. His heart jumped when the tip of Harry's tongue traced his bottom lip and then slipped into his mouth.

Draco was stunned. How did Harry _know_ all this? Either he had been fooling Draco all along which wasn't possible, or he was acting purely on instinct. If the latter was the case, Harry's instincts were brilliant.

Draco then finally allowed himself to let down his guard and relax, meeting Harry's tongue with his own and caressing it gently. He didn't even notice that Harry's attempts at kissing were a little clumsy and inexperienced because Draco was much too busy trying to ignore the intense fluttering in his stomach and the frantic beating of his heart.

Harry shifted a little and slid his leg over Draco's, bringing their erections in direct contact which made Draco stifle another gasp. Dammit, that boy was good! Draco let his hand wander down the other boy's back to slip under his pyjama shirt, gently brushing the tips of his fingers over Harry's warm skin.

Then, Harry started grinding his hips against him, and Draco _had_ to pull away because it was getting too intense. Both of them were panting as they stared at each other, eyes half-closed and lips red and puffy.

"Harry," Draco managed, swallowing hard.

"I want…," Harry started, then blushed and averted his eyes. "I want to… I don't know, I just… want."

Draco looked at him in awe at first, then gently tilted the younger boy's chin up and looked into his eyes. He nodded understandingly and pressed a gentle kiss against Harry's lips.

"I know," he whispered, rubbing his nose against Harry's affectionately. "But I'm not sure you know what this means."

He searched Harry's eyes and ran his fingers through that black mess of hair.

Harry lowered his eyes again, then looked back at Draco determinedly. "I… I think I do," he whispered back. "I want… I want to be close to you, Draco. Show me what it means? Please…"

And as usual, Draco found he was unable to resist the intent look in those beautiful green eyes. They looked even greener when Harry wasn't wearing his glasses, and there really was nothing he could do. He couldn't say no. And Harry said he wanted it. And he was seventeen, and so technically of age, so it wasn't even forbidden.

Draco took a deep breath and nodded, then gently pushed Harry onto his back. Harry was watching him with curious eyes as Draco slid between the other boy's legs, carefully lying down on top of him. A gasp escaped both of them and they stared into each other's eyes, their chests rising and falling rapidly and their cocks pulsing against each other.

"A-Are you sure?" Draco whispered. "I want you to tell me if I do anything you feel uncomfortable with, all right? I don't want to hurt you, so you need to let me know what is okay and what isn't. Can you do that, Harry?"

Harry nodded his head immediately, and the last of Draco's doubts vanished. He knew that Harry wanted this now; he just hoped that Harry would keep his word and let him know the moment he did something that wasn't all right.

"Okay," Draco whispered, then cupped the back of Harry's neck and kissed him again while he let his body take over. He started slowly grinding his hips against the younger boy's, and both their moans were muffled by the kiss that was quickly becoming more passionate.

Draco didn't stop his hands from exploring every inch of Harry's body, and Harry didn't seem to mind at all. His hands also slid down Draco's back, and Draco had to smile when they slowly slid onto his arse, squeezing gently.

When the need for air became too strong, Draco pulled away and sat up on his knees, pulling his pyjama shirt over his head and staring down at Harry hungrily. He shivered when he saw the same need reflected in Harry's eyes, and gave the other boy a few moments to look at him. He leaned forward and swiftly unbuttoned Harry's shirt, carefully sliding it off of his shoulders, and for the first time allowing himself to stare unabashedly at his friend's – lover's? boyfriend's? – body.

He slid his palms down the sides of Harry's body and stopped when they reached the waistband of Harry's pyjama bottoms. He glanced up into his eyes and Harry nodded, then watched Draco pull his bottoms down. Draco sucked in a sharp gasp at the sight of Harry's fully erect penis and licked his lips unconsciously.

After ridding Harry of his pants, he did the same with his own and shivered again at the pure lust in Harry's eyes. If he'd had any more doubts about Harry wanting this, they would've disappeared at that look.

Taking a deep breath, Draco crawled on top of Harry, then attacked the younger boy's neck, tasting his skin and leaving a mark without even wanting to. He was addicted to this boy, and encouraged by Harry's moans, he trailed his lips over his collarbone, then started licking and nibbling at Harry's chest. He circled the hard, pink nipples with his tongue, biting gently before making his way down his chest and dipping his tongue into Harry's navel.

He glanced up at Harry for a second and saw that Harry's eyes were closed now and that he was gripping the sheets. Draco smiled in satisfaction and lowered his eyes to take a closer look at Harry's erection. He couldn't prevent himself from leaning forward and licking the bit of pre-come off the head, moaning at how… innocent Harry tasted.

He then didn't fight the urge any longer and closed his lips around Harry's erection, looking up at him so he wouldn't miss any of the emotions travelling across Harry's face.

"Oh," Harry gasped, and slid one of his hands into Draco's hair, tugging gently. Draco bobbed his head up and down, licking every inch of his lover's hard shaft to entice more of those soft, sweet moans from the other boy.

He was surprised that Harry wasn't coming yet. He thought he had never done anything like this before; had never been touched before, not even by his own hand, but maybe Draco was wrong and considered Harry more innocent than he really was.

Finally, he pulled away and licked his lips, looking up at Harry with a smile. "Okay?"

Harry let out a soft, disappointed mewl when Draco pulled away, then opened his eyes and stared down at him in wonder, nodding enthusiastically. "Brilliant!" he breathed, and Draco had to laugh. He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of Harry's erection, then sat up on his knees and brushed his knuckles over Harry's thigh.

He leaned over him and reached into the drawer of his bedside table, pulling out a tube of lube.

He looked into Harry's eyes, unsure if this was what he wanted. Maybe he should take it slowly and not do this yet… But Harry still had the possibility to stop him, if this was not what he had in mind.

Draco lubed his fingers and then disappeared between the other boy's legs again, wrapping one hand around his erection and stroking him slowly while he gently traced Harry's hole with his fingers. Harry clenched instinctively and Draco gave him the time to get used to the feel of his fingers at that sensitive, intimate spot.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered. "If I hurt you, just scream 'stop', all right?"

He looked up at Harry and their eyes met, and he knew immediately that this was what Harry wanted. He gave him a small, reassuring smile, then gently, slowly and carefully slid the first finger into the tight heat of Harry's ass. Both of them gasped at the same time, and Draco was surprised when Harry relaxed around the finger almost instantly. He slid it back and forth slowly, then tentatively added a second one all the while watching Harry's face for any sign of pain.

When Harry had adjusted to the feel of two fingers inside of him, Draco crooked them and gently brushed the tips against Harry's prostate, smiling when Harry almost arched off the bed and let out an animal growl.

"Hmmm, you like that, don't you?" he asked teasingly and Harry moaned again.

"Yes… Please, Draco," he breathed, his fingers in Draco's hair tightening and pulling almost painfully. "Please… More."

Harry didn't have to tell him twice, and after rubbing the boy's prostate for another moment, he pulled his fingers out and slicked his erection with the oily substance of the lubricant.

He slid on top of Harry, the tip of his cock pressed against the boy's entrance. "I won't lie to you," he whispered, Harry's breath tickling his sore lips. "It might hurt a little. But after that it will feel so good. But if it hurts too much, I'll stop. Just let me know and I'll stop."

Harry searched his eyes for a moment, then nodded, and the trust reflected in the green orbs was almost too much for Draco. He had to suck in a sharp breath and close his eyes for a moment before he'd overcome the overwhelming feeling. He couldn't remember ever being trusted like this before. People were usually suspicious because he was a Malfoy, and they never trusted him as unconditionally as Harry seemed to at this moment. It was a nice feeling.

Draco gave Harry a small smile and brushed his fingers over the younger boy's cheek before pressing his lips against Harry's and slowly pushing in.

The tightness was almost too much, and Harry's fingers digging into his back almost made him come immediately. He had to pause multiple times before he was settled all the way inside of Harry, partly because all of this was overwhelming for Draco, and partly because he needed to give Harry time.

He stared down into his eyes when he was all the way inside, and loved that Harry immediately wrapped his legs around him to pull him even deeper inside.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, even though he already knew the answer. Harry gave him a brief nod and told him to move, so Draco did.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled back a little before carefully thrusting in again, changing his angle a couple of times before he'd found the right position that enabled him to stimulate Harry's prostate with every thrust.

After a moment, he had to open his eyes again, needing to see the passion in Harry's eyes. God, he was beautiful. His eyes were half-closed, the black, insanely long lashes fluttering against his cheeks that were adorably flushed, his lips parted and swollen. His hair was even messier than usual, and Draco couldn't remember ever seeing anything more obliviously erotic than Harry at this moment.

"Draco," Harry almost whined, and Draco snapped out of his reverie, moving again. He sped up his thrusts a little when he saw that Harry could take it, and wasn't surprised when he felt his orgasm building surprisingly soon.

"Oh god, Harry," he moaned and quickly slid a hand between their bodies, stroking Harry in time with his thrusts. Harry's fingers dug harder into Draco's back, and even scratched him which Draco knew would be the trigger of his orgasm.

He was determined to bring Harry off first, though, so he doubled his efforts, and a moment later, Harry's eyes widened and Draco could feel the warmth of Harry's come, spilling over his hand. The clenching around his cock was almost too much, and combined with the feel of Harry's fingernails buried in his back, Draco only managed one more thrust before he, too, reached his climax and came deep inside the other boy.

"Fuck," he breathed and collapsed on top of him, loving how Harry's arms instinctively went around him, holding him close.

He felt Harry's breath against his sweaty neck as he panted and they both came down from the high of their orgasms. As soon as Draco could form a coherent thought, he asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yes," Harry whispered, tightening his arms around Draco and nuzzling his neck with his face. "That was… beautiful," he murmured after a moment, hesitantly pulling back to look into Draco's eyes.

Draco gave him a soft smile and nodded. "It was amazing," he agreed, and then reluctantly shifted a little to slide his cock out of Harry. Harry whimpered in disappointment and Draco kissed his nose reassuringly before rolling over so Harry was on top of him.

He slid his hands onto Harry's lower back and smiled up at him, catching the other boy's bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before releasing it and kissing him lazily for a few minutes.

He could feel that Harry was getting sleepy, and so did he, as a matter of fact. He broke the kiss gently and tucked Harry's head under his chin, slowly petting his still slightly sweaty, messy hair. Deciding to deal with all the feelings that would inevitably come to the surface sooner or later tomorrow, Draco closed his eyes and allowed himself to doze off.

He almost didn't hear Harry's soft words as they were murmured into his neck and he blinked when he _did_ acknowledge them. Harry snickered softly, then pulled away only enough to say the words again. "I love you, Draco. G'night."

Draco tensed for a brief second before he relaxed. He wasn't sure why it didn't bother him more to hear those words, and he was even less sure why it was so easy when the same words spilled from _his lips_ a second later. "I love you too, Harry," he whispered, kissing the top of Harry's head. He'd think about everything the next day. Right now, he just wanted to be with Harry. "Goodnight, love."

And with those words both of them fell asleep.

Tbc…


	9. Chapter 9

Draco woke up the next morning when he heard a noise from the kitchen. He was about to sit up abruptly when he realized that Harry was still on top of him. His face softened for a moment and he gently brushed Harry's hair out of his face before he noticed that if Harry was still up here with him, someone _else_ had to be downstairs in the kitchen.

He tensed and managed to gently push Harry off of him without waking him up, then slipped on his boxers and slowly made his way downstairs, armed with his wand.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw next, namely one Albus Dumbledore sitting on the kitchen counter and eating a bowl of cereal. Draco managed to just stare for a moment before he cleared his throat to make his presence known.

Dumbledore looked up and gave him an amused smile. "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. I do hope you slept well," he said around a mouth of cereal, rendering Draco completely speechless.

What was he doing here? How had he found them? Why did he have to show up _now_, of all times? Why did he have to show up _at all_? What was he going to do now? Was he going to take Harry away from him?

All those questions popped up in Draco's head and he squared his jaw at the last one, clenching his fists. He wouldn't let anyone take Harry away from him. He'd done nothing wrong; Harry was back and old enough to decide what he wanted. And the previous night, he _had_ made up his mind. He wanted Draco.

"You're worried," Dumbledore interrupted his stream of thoughts, "that I am going to take Harry with me, aren't you?"

Draco looked up in surprise and forced himself to close his mind, even though he didn't have the impression that Dumbledore had used Legilimency.

"You care about him, don't you, Draco?" Dumbledore continued, looking at him with those damn annoying, piercing eyes. Draco took a deep breath and slid onto the table, nodding.

"I do," he said softly. "And that's why I had to take him away. I didn't force him." He looked at Dumbledore intently, needing the other man to understand this. "He showed up at my door and I just couldn't let Mungo's ruin everything I've achieved. He's talking, Dum- Albus." The fact that the older man had used his first name made Draco more confident. "He's talking to me, he's… He's back. I'm not sure if he's ready to talk to other people but he _is_ talking to me, and…"

"And he's in love with you," Dumbledore said knowingly, and Draco looked up in surprise, earning a smile from the other man. "It's quite obvious that you are too. When I heard that you were taking care of him, I already expected something like this to happen."

Draco looked at him searchingly. "And you're okay with this?" he asked hesitantly, nervously fumbling with the fabric of his boxers.

Dumbledore lowered his eyes and chewed on the last of his cereal before placing the bowl into the sink and casting a cleaning charm on it. "Like I said; I expected it," he said then, looking back at Draco. "And I know that you care more for him than anyone else in this world; maybe even more than I do. So yes. I am all right with this. I know you wouldn't let anything happen to Harry, and you're a powerful wizard, Draco. You have the power to protect him and I know you'll give your life to make sure that Harry's safe."

Draco frowned and thought about this for a moment. He'd never actually thought that far but… Dumbledore was right, probably. He nodded slowly and pulled one of his legs onto the table, resting his chin on it. "So, how did you know we were here?" he asked, making Dumbledore's eyes twinkle in amusement.

"Really, Draco, who do you think I am? I knew you were here all along, and I thought now would be the right time to pay you a little visit," he said, and Draco had to grudgingly admit that it wasn't that surprising that the most powerful wizard in their world had found out about their whereabouts. He still didn't think that _this_ was the right time for a visit, but… whatever.

Before he could ask any more questions, he was distracted by a noise coming from the doorway behind him. He turned his head and found Harry standing there in his t-shirt and boxers, watching them silently.

"Harry," Draco said affectionately, giving him a reassuring smile. "You do remember Albus, don't you?"

Harry nodded shyly and made his way towards Draco, clinging to his hand as soon as he found it. Draco slid an arm around him and squeezed Harry's hand. "He's not going to hurt you, Harry," he said softly, kissing the other boy's cheek. "He's one of the good guys, remember?"

Harry nodded hesitantly but still didn't talk.

Dumbledore was watching all of this interestedly, noting how Harry and Draco clung to each other and how comfortable they acted around each other. "Hello Harry," Dumbledore said, keeping it at that. He, too, had millions of questions he wanted to ask Harry, but right now he had to gain his trust.

Harry cleared his throat and squeezed Draco's hand more tightly before managing a small smile. "Hello," he murmured in a soft voice, making both other men relax.

Draco made breakfast for the two of them then while Harry and Dumbledore talked. He risked a glance at Harry more than once, needing to reassure himself that Harry was fine with this situation. They had breakfast and Dumbledore let them know what had been going on in London during their absence. The hospital had been looking for them all over, but he was positive that they had no clue where they were. Dumbledore himself was the only one who knew where they were and he wasn't going to tell anyone, which made Draco breathe out in relief.

He had been thinking a lot lately, thinking about not going back at all and just building up a life here with Harry. They could live as Muggles, even though Draco wanted to teach Harry how to handle his magic. He had yet to talk to Harry about all of this, along with many other things, such as their love making the previous night.

Dumbledore stayed all day, and Harry became more and more comfortable around the old man. And when Dumbledore decided it was time to leave at the end of the day, he Disapparated with the promise of visiting them again soon.

When he was gone, Draco knew it was time to talk to Harry about what they'd done the previous night. He gently took his hand and pulled him onto the couch, smiling when Harry immediately took that as an invitation to snuggle.

He wrapped his arms around him protectively, stroking the silky, messy locks of thick hair and kissing Harry's forehead. "How are you feeling, love?" he asked softly after a moment, closing his eyes when Harry's fingers brushed over the soft skin on his neck.

Harry was silent for a moment but Draco could feel him smile against his neck. "I'm feeling good," Harry admitted and looked up at Draco, giving him a small smile. "Today was nice."

"It was, wasn't it?" Draco agreed, sighing in relief when he was sure that Harry hadn't been uncomfortable at all. He took a deep breath, then decided to breach the subject of the previous night. "Harry… What about last night? Are you… I mean, do you have any questions about what we did?"

Harry looked at him curiously, searching his eyes, and Draco was overwhelmed with a surge of adoration for his Harry. He kissed his nose gently, then his lips before reluctantly pulling back to let Harry talk. Harry gave him a small smile and shrugged. "We made love," he said softly, surprising Draco. Harry snickered and bit his lip, blushing a little. "You're surprised that I know that? It was in that one story you read to me once, remember?"

Draco did and gave him a smile, still stroking Harry's hair gently and biting his lip thoughtfully. "You said that you loved me," he said almost shyly, fighting a blush as well. "Did you mean it, Harry?"

Harry looked at him with a brief, insecure smile and Draco could feel him tense in his arms. "O-Of course I did," Harry said unsurely, and Draco mentally kicked himself for doubting the other boy. "What about you?"

"Of course I meant it," Draco said, and he did. He had never been in love before, had never told anyone he loved them, mainly because he didn't lie to people. But this time, he did mean it. He was in love with Harry. "I do love you."

Harry's smile filled Draco's heart with joy and the force of Harry's hug overwhelmed him completely. He wrapped his arms around him and was surprised when Harry climbed onto his lap and straddled him.

He pulled back a little and glanced at his younger boyfriend with a raised eyebrow, gasping softly when Harry pressed his erection against his own rapidly hardening cock. "I want to make love again," Harry said softly, and Draco had never seen that wicked gleam in his eyes before, as he grinned. "But this time, I want to be on top."

Draco was stunned.

Tbc…


	10. Chapter 10

I apologize for the long wait and for the fact that this chapter is pretty short. We're nearing the end of the story and the next few might be more on the shorter side.

* * *

**Part 10**

Everything went well during the next few days. Harry and Draco spent all their time together, either taking long walks, cuddling in front of the television or having sex. Draco soon found out that Harry had in a matter of only a few days almost become a sex addict. He was very experimental and always open to trying out new positions. Draco loved it.

Harry was very interested in discovering the world; he read a lot, and wanted to know all about Magic. Draco let him practise some basic spells with Draco's wand, surprised at how well it worked for the younger man. Like he'd predicted, Harry was extremely talented and it usually only took him a few tries before he perfected the spells.

Everything had been calm and harmonic and nothing could've prepared Draco for what happened next.

They had just returned home from one of their walks and Harry had run upstairs to change into something more comfortable for their movie night. Draco smiled as he watched him run up the stairs enthusiastically and shook his head in amusement as he made his way into the kitchen to get them something to drink.

When he entered the kitchen however, he froze; not voluntarily but because someone had cast a binding spell on him. "Draco Malfoy," a deep, manly voice said. "You are hereby arrested for the abduction of Harry James Potter. You have the right to remain silent until you've talked to your lawyer."

Draco stared at the tall, black man standing before him, and recognized him instantly. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Head of the Auror Department. With him were two other Aurors, a tall red-headed, freckled one who Draco immediately knew to be a Weasley, and a shorter, sandy-haired one. The fifth man in the room was none other than Severus Snape.

This could not be good. Draco struggled but was unable to move. "I didn't abduct him!" he protested, and Weasley's hand tightened on his arm. Snape's lip curled into a sneer and Draco was silenced by the strength of the older man's glare.

Before any of them could reply, Harry came into the room and stared. "What?" he asked, his eyes widening and taking a step back.

"I did NOT kidnap him," Draco hissed again, eyes still locked with Snape's who now raised an eyebrow.

"Really," he said dryly. "Then how do you explain the fact that he's here with you in Scotland when he's supposed to be at St. Mungo's?"

"He came to me," Draco spat, trying to reassure Harry, who looked terrified at that moment because the other Auror was preventing him from leaving the room, with a calming look. "He wanted to get away from you nutcases who didn't let him live his life. He wanted to be with someone who actually cares about him!"

Snape took a few steps closer and looked down at Draco, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "And that gives you the right to take him away from where he belongs?" he asked, his lips a dangerous line. "You went too far, Malfoy. Now deal with the consequences."

He took a step back, then nodded at Kingsley, who waved his wand as he performed a silent spell, knocking Draco out, who was still struggling violently. Draco collapsed onto the floor, and the last thing he heard was Harry calling his name desperately.

*

Some time later, Draco woke up, his heart hammering from the force of the spell. He was disoriented for a moment and opened his eyes, looking around frantically. He was in a room without windows, tied to a chair. He noticed a door that was most certainly locked, and knew he had to be in some room at the Ministry.

Only now did he realize that he was not alone in the room; a young woman with bushy, brown hair and square glasses was sitting opposite him, fixing him with intelligent, brown eyes. She pulled out her wand, flicked it to expertly loosen the ropes that kept Draco tied to the chair, then she pushed a glass of water toward him, nodding her head to indicate him to drink.

Draco looked at her suspiciously but then his thirst won and he reached for the glass, downing the water in one go. He swallowed hard and looked around again. "Where am I?"

"Ministry of Magic," the young woman said in a voice that was soft and firm at the same time. "You were arrested for removing Harry Potter from the premises of St. Mungo's. My name is Hermione Granger and I am your lawyer."

Draco looked at her critically, then sighed and slumped back against his chair. "I didn't kidnap him," he said softly, searching her eyes to see if she believed him. She was silent and looked at him, obviously waiting for him to continue.

Draco sighed and propped put his arms on the table, resting his chin on his folded arms. "Are you familiar with Harry's case?" he asked softly, not even managing to keep his usual Malfoy mask intact. For some reason he knew he could trust this woman. He had to, if he wanted to escape Azkaban and convince the world that he was innocent.

Granger opened a file which Draco recognized to be Harry's. "I've read his file, yes," she said, looking up at him and pushing her black glasses up on her nose, looking at him intently. "Why don't you tell me your version of everything that happened?"

Draco scowled and sat back again. "It's not my version! It's the bloody truth. I wouldn't lie about something like this. I..." He trailed off and sighed, knowing that he would get nowhere if he didn't calm down and did what Granger asked of him.

He began to recount everything, from the day he'd first seen Harry till the day when he lost his temper and got fired. He told her how Harry showed up on his doorstep and what had happened in the meantime; what a huge progress he'd made with Harry and how Harry had completely come out of his shell, how he, Draco, had healed him.

"And then those fucking Aurors showed up and..." He trailed off and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "Is Harry okay?" he asked suddenly, looking up into her eyes. "Where is he? What have they done to him?"

Hermione closed Harry's file and took off her glasses to clean them. "He wouldn't let them take him back to the hospital, and he's currently residing with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black; I think you are familiar with them?" At Draco's nod and relieved sigh, she continued. "He hasn't spoken a word to anyone."

"Fuck!" Draco cursed, slamming his fist down onto the table and standing up. He brushed his hair out of his face and looked thoughtful as he paced the room, his mind entirely with Harry at that moment. "They screwed everything up. I made such a huge progress and now everything was in vain! He was talking." He turned to Hermione, pleading her with his eyes to believe him. "He talked to me all the time. He trusted me, he made his own decisions, he practised magic, he... He was amazing, Hermione."

He didn't know what made him use the lawyer's first name, but he was so desperate to convince her of the truth of his words, that he did no longer care. "I have to talk to him. He needs me!"

Hermione looked back down at the table and shook her head. "I'm sorry but that's not possible. You won't be able to see him before the trial in three days. I can assure you that he's well; Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin will take good care of him and-"

"Three days? Trial?" Draco asked, momentarily confused. "Are you serious? They're going to send me to Azkaban for this? I didn't do anything wrong! I did what was best for Harry- my patient and..."

He rubbed his eyes in frustration and sat back down, leaning forward and looking into her eyes. "Are you good? How many cases have you won, how many lost?"

"Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said firmly. "I have to ask you to calm down; panic will get you nowhere. I'm good at what I do; my success rate is high and I won't let them send you to Azkaban if I'm convinced that you're innocent."

She looked at him for another moment and gave him a small, toothy smile. "And I believe you."

Draco breathed out in relief and swore to himself that he would do anything it would take to avoid going to Azkaban and to get his Harry back.

*

"He's been sitting there like that for hours," Remus whispered as he sat down next to Sirius, a cup of tea in his hand. "I'm really worried about him, Sirius..."

"I am, too," Sirius murmured, turning to the other man and frowning. "You don't believe that Malfoy actually did help him, do you?"

"I don't know," Remus admitted, looking at Harry, who had been sitting at the window, staring out at the now darkening sky ever since they'd arrived at Grimmauld Place. "But why would he say that Harry had been talking if it wasn't the truth?"

"I don't know... To keep his arse out of Azkaban?" Sirius suggested, glancing back at Harry as well. He sighed and shook his head.

"He cares about Harry," Remus said softly. "Malfoy, I mean. Even if you don't want to admit that to yourself; he does care about him. Maybe even more than we ever did. I think... I have a feeling that Harry was happy when he was with Malfoy. And Sirius, James would've wanted his son to be happy, as would Lily. We need to make sure that Harry's happy. We owe it to them."

Sirius tore his eyes away from Harry to look at the other man, and finally, he sighed. "We should talk to Albus," he decided. "He'll know what to do."

Tbc...


End file.
